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Of course, I’m not saying everyone needs to be Asian, but it’s hard to ignore after ten episodes the lack of diversity beyond the three leading cast members.ĭespite its many faults, I found myself giving this series a chance, but with the knowledge that it would likely disappoint. As an Asian critic, I expected the diverse futuristic solar system, which seems to enjoy an Asian aesthetic ( as so many futuristic stories do), to have a look that reflects the future. Its cast of supporting characters could also do with some diversifying, for a series based on a Japanese anime, there is essentially one Asian character who speaks in the series and that’s Spike. For many Western audiences, Bebop the anime was their gateway drug into the world of anime, so there will be a scrutinizing audience. Perhaps if Bebop was based on a less well-known anime, he might have gotten away with it, but that isn’t the case. Showrunner André Nemec seems determined to stay as close to the source as possible while adapting to the live-action changes, and it is to his detriment. The problem with Bebop the live-action show is that it fails to find a balance between loyalty and experimentation. Similarly, Satine’s Julia feels cookie-cutter, and despite the amount of time we spend with her, she never seems to fully develop into anything complex. Hassell is dramatic with his bulging eyes and barely contained fury, but lacks any subtlety to be truly terrifying. As far as backstories go, Spike’s always took center stage in the anime, but the heart of what made Bebop so enjoyable wasn’t really about the syndicate, but about people running from their pasts. His skeletons in the closet include his nemesis Vicious ( Alex Hassell) and his long-lost love Julia ( Elena Satine). At the risk of spoiling a 25-year-old anime, I’ll just say it’s complicated.Īt the center of this is Spike’s story, which involves a crime syndicate.
And, as the story progresses, we slowly learn the histories of the three characters and how they eventually found their way into bounty hunting. When it comes to the anime, Spike, Jet, and Faye were always going to be the easiest to cast in comparison to Ed, a young girl who is a hacker, and Ein, a literal intelligent Corgi.Ĭho, Shakir, and Pineda get along, with magnificent chemistry bouncing back and forth between the trio as they fly through space going after bounties. As far as casting goes, the live-action series nails the three leading characters spot on. They are also later joined by Faye Valentine ( Daniella Pineda), a con artist and fellow bounty hunter. Netflix’s series follows Spike Spiegel ( John Cho), a bounty hunter on the ship Bebop, and his partner Jet Black ( Mustafa Shakir), an ex ISSP cop and current bounty hunter. So it’s hard to call Netflix’s rendition of Cowboy Bebop a success, because it’s impossible to capture the wonder of the original anime, especially in its live-action form, and with the burden of its fanbase, it would have taken some serious gall to go off the script of the original storyline.
Lean into the experimentation, and the 25 years of accumulated fans might be in an uproar.
Lean into the loyalty to the series, and it might seem like an imitation rather than its own piece.
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Therefore, translating the twenty-six episodes and movie always felt like an impossible task. In that way, Bebop is undeniably a series that is unique and nigh impossible to duplicate. Bebop was stylish and thoughtful, it was dark and violent, it blended genres together seamlessly with a beautiful and experimental jazz soundtrack.
The beloved anime is infamously successful, however, it was a noted departure from the standard anime of its time. As a representation of the original anime by Shinichirō Watanabe, Cowboy Bebop was always going to be divisive. When it comes to adaptations, there are those who are loyalists and those who are experimentalists.